Cover image courtesy of Alliance for Gambling Reform
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced the roll-out of a partial ban on gambling advertising online and on television, designed to protect children from exposure to harm. In his National Press Club address on Thursday, Albanese called it "the most significant reform on gambling that has ever been implemented".
The announcement comes three years after the ‘You Win Some, You Lose More’ report, which was delivered from the parliamentary inquiry into online gambling harm, led by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy. The inquiry’s 31 recommendations included phasing out gambling advertising altogether on television, online, radio, and in sports venues and on players’ outfits, as well as the development of a national online gambling harm reduction strategy.
Harm reduction
The government’s plan puts a cap of three gambling adverts per hour on television broadcast between 6am and 8:30pm, with a complete ban on adverts during live sport events broadcast during that time. Gambling adverts on the radio will be banned during school pick-up and drop-off times.
Gambling adverts will be banned on online platforms unless the user is logged in and is verified to be over 18, with the option to opt out of seeing gambling-specific advertising. There will also be a crackdown on online lotteries, off-shore gambling, and a ban on online keno products.
Advertising using celebrities or athletes will not be allowed as part of the reform, neither will promotional advertising in sports venues or on uniforms.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese | Image courtesy of Anthony Albanese
The Murphy inquiry recommended gambling advertising on dedicated racing channels and programming should be exempt from the ban, although it is unknown whether Albanese’s reform package includes this exception. There is no further information at this time on how the reforms could impact racing.
"We are getting the balance right, letting adults have a punt if they want to, but making sure that our children don't see betting ads everywhere they look," Albanese told the National Press Club. He also said that the government would table a formal response to the Murphy inquiry on May 12.
"We are getting the balance right." - Anthony Albanese
Communications Minister Anika Wells will lead consultations with cross-bench MPs in order to get the legislation put into effect, in the hopes that the reform can be rolled out from January 1, 2027.
Anika Wells | Image courtesy of Anika Wells
In the days leading up to the announcement, Sportsbet revealed that they would not activate in-stadium wagering advertising for the 2026 AFL season at Marvel Stadium and the Melbourne Cricket Ground, while remaining the major wagering partner for the AFL.
A spokesperson for the company told the Australian Financial Review that it was a “voluntary decision” by Sportsbet that “forms part of a multi-year strategy to reduce the prominence of wagering advertising around live sport”. Last year, Sportsbet also removed odds integration advertising from live broadcasting.
Caught by surprise
In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, Responsible Wagering Australia expressed surprise at the legislation’s announcement.
“Responsible Wagering Australia is deeply disappointed that the Federal Government has further restricted gambling advertising without consultation and keenly await further detail to understand the impact of these draconian measures,” the statement read.
“This announcement, with no heads up and no genuine consultation, is a real kick in the guts for the industry,” said RWA CEO Kai Cantwell. “For an industry that has engaged in good faith and delivered meaningful reform, this announcement today is disappointing.”
"This announcement, with no heads up and no genuine consultation, is a real kick in the guts for the industry." - Kai Cantwell
The statement alleges that the reforms go further than the recommendations from the Murphy inquiry.
Kai Cantwell | Image courtesy of Responsible Wagering Australia
“This sets a dangerous precedent. Today it’s gambling advertising, tomorrow it’s alcohol, then it’s sugary drinks, fast food, critical minerals and who knows what else comes next.”
It also said that overregulation will simply lead to Australian gamblers seeking off-shore alternatives, which will draw revenue away from the country.
“There is no silver bullet,” said Cantwell. “These operators are highly sophisticated and will stop at nothing to target Australians and evade enforcement. To effectively tackle the issue there must be a sustained, coordinated approach that cuts them off at the source.”
Not far enough
Independent MP Kate Chaney referred to the reform package as "tinkering around the edges of meaningful reform".
After more than 1000 days of silence on gambling reform, any Government action would be a step forward,” she said in a media statement released via her website on April 1.
“The proposal leaked to the media today (Wednesday) gets the Government out of the starting blocks, but we’re a long way short of the finish line. There are significant recommendations from the Murphy Report that are glaring omissions from this Government proposal.”
"The proposal... gets the Government out of the starting blocks, but we’re a long way short of the finish line." - Kate Chaney
Chaney introduced a private member’s bill on Monday that sought to phase out gambling advertising altogether over a three year period. She cited her belief that the government was placing too much onus on the individual as a key reason the legislation didn’t go far enough.
“As a committee member on the inquiry into online gambling harm, we heard definitively that partial bans on advertising do not work,” she said. “The media reforms in 2017 resulted in an increase of gambling ads on TV.
Kate Chaney | Image courtesy of Kate Chaney
“The lack of reference to inducements and inducement advertising and the opt-in nature of the social media ban shows the government has not given up its ‘personal responsibility’ narrative. It’s not an equal playing field for vulnerable Australians to take on the gambling companies.
“Curbing gambling industry harms will require decisive action from the federal government, including the establishment of a national regulator.”
The Alliance for Gambling Reform’s chief advocate Tim Costello called it a “timid response”. Liberal MP Simon Kennedy, co-chair of a parliamentary friends group on gambling harm minimisation, also expressed feeling underwhelmed by the announcement.
"The prime minister has reluctantly moved on gambling reform under pressure from parliament, but after years of inaction, the announcement is overdue and underwhelming," he told the ABC.
"Anything less than a comprehensive ban will continue to expose Australians, especially children, to relentless gambling promotion," said Australian Medical Association Vice President Associate Professor Julian Rait in a statement released on the Association’s website. “The changes announced today are a step in the right direction, but they are not the strong, comprehensive response Australians need and deserve.”
Julian Rait | Image courtesy of Australian Medical Association
"Anything less than a comprehensive ban will continue to expose Australians, especially children, to relentless gambling promotion." - Julian Rait
On two previous occasions since the Murphy report, the government has put through a bill cracking down on gambling advertising, but neither have made it into legislation. The most recent one, devised by former Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, proposed a total ban on online gambling advertising, two advert per hour cap before 10pm, and a ban on advertising within an hour of live sport. It was pulled before the most recent federal election.
